by Mike Badger

The Washington Post, in a story "The labels said organic.' But these massive imports of corn and soybeans weren't," uncovered fraudulent soybeans coming from Eastern Europe. These were conventional soybeans when they left the port in Ukraine. By the time the shipment rounded Turkey and landed in the U.S., the beans underwent a miraculous certification.They had become organic.

This is scary stuff for those of us who buy organic feed and who do not have the luxury of personally knowing their feed suppliers and how they source their grain. Pastured poultry is different in many ways in that we have small regional suppliers who do control their source; however, it's not ubiquitous.

If you're buying organic chicken from a national brand, chances are good the major ingredients in that feed, especially soy is coming from somewhere with less rigorous organic standards.

Do you and your customers understand this nuance in the supply chain?

If you're feeding organic feed, have you asked your supplier where the corn and soy come from? They should be happy to answer this question in a transparent way.